A Healthy Balance

State of Health

The typical Maryland household earns $80,776 a year, the highest median income of any state.

This higher median income translates to a relative lack of serious financial hardship—Maryland is one of only six states in which fewer than 1 in 10 residents live in poverty. It also means more Maryland residents can afford healthful diets and lifestyles; the state’s life expectancy at birth of 79.3 years is nearly half a year longer than life expectancy in the country as a whole.

A Wealth of Health Professionals

Maryland’s leadership in biohealth and life sciences research and development attracts medical professionals of all kinds. So it’s no wonder Marylanders enjoy access to excellent physicians and leading hospitals. Healthgrades.com recently named Baltimore among the nation’s best “cities doing healthcare right.” Johns Hopkins Hospital ranks third in the U.S. News and World Report honor roll of best hospitals in the country. And Maryland ranks fifth among the states in active physicians per capita.

The National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, is the nation’s premier medical research facility. Such long-term medical research is vitally important. Sometimes, however, health care just can’t wait. When severe injury or sudden, critical illness strikes, Maryland residents can be thankful for The University of Maryland Medical System Shock Trauma Center—the first such facility in the world and the model for many others that followed.

All Kinds of Wellness

Treating and preventing illness and injury is one thing. Wellness is another, bigger thing. Marylanders enjoy 50 state parks and 18 national parks, with thousands of miles of trails for hiking, biking, jogging or simply walking.

But wellness is more than a walk in the park—daily walking in your neighborhood is also important. Baltimore was recently rated among the top 20 most walkable metropolitan areas in the country, and the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson area ranked 17th out of the 50 biggest metropolitan areas in the country in the American College of Sports Medicine’s 2016 American Fitness Index.

Across the state, you’ll also find sports and recreation programs for all ages. And yoga and meditation classes are now as easy to find as swim teams and softball leagues.

John Harbaugh“It’s an amazing community. What we’ve got going in Maryland is just special. It’s a great place to live and raise your family."John Harbaugh, Head Coach, Baltimore Ravens

What Else Does Maryland Have to Offer?

An Educated Citizenry

Maryland’s highly educated workers know that everyone benefits from the state’s top-ranked public schools and universities.